


A Happy Set of Circumstances

by polgara



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 14:51:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polgara/pseuds/polgara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dawn nearly dropped the dish she was putting away as the scream echoed through the house she shared with Buffy. It was quickly followed by her sister screeching out her name and a series of thumps. "</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Happy Set of Circumstances

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** #341 Mouse at Tamingthemuse LJ comm
> 
>  
> 
> **Disclaimer:** I own none of these characters, settings, or fandoms. They are the property of their respective creators and companies.

Dawn nearly dropped the dish she was putting away as the scream echoed through the house she shared with Buffy. It was quickly followed by her sister screeching out her name and a series of thumps. The leggy brunette ran towards the living room where Buffy had last been worried that demons had somehow made it into the house. 

Instead, Buffy was standing on top of the coffee table pointing at a corner of the room in horror. “Get it! Get it! Get it!” Her voice going higher with every word. 

Once she got a good look at what had freaked her sister out so much, a squeak that possibly only dogs and slayers could hear exited her own lips and she quickly joined Buffy on the coffee table. “What’s it doing here?” 

“I don’t know but it needs to go. Take care of it, Dawn,” Buffy said, hiding behind her younger sister. 

“Oh, nuh-uh,” Dawn said with a shake of her head. “You’re the slayer here, you slay it.” 

“How about we call someone,” Buffy suggested instead. 

Dawn thought over their options, they hadn’t been in Denver for long, just over two months. The local slayer house was out of the question. “How about Chris?” She said, positioning herself to see Buffy and the thing in the corner at the same time. 

Buffy sent her a withering glare. “Really, Dawn, really? He’s going to take one look at us, shake his head, and then walk right back out again.” 

“Buck?” Dawn countered. 

“I really don’t want to be reminded of this incident for the next twenty years. He’ll never let us live it down. Or rather, let me live it down,” Buffy pointed out, keeping a wary eye on the corner. 

“Which leaves JD out,” Dawn said with a pout. 

“I hate to tell you, but it won’t be intimidated by JD.” 

“Oh please. He could so -” 

“Moving on,” Buffy said overtop of her. 

“Josiah will try for the humane approach.” 

Buffy vehemently shook her head. “No way, no humane approach for this beastie.” 

“And Nathan is gone for the weekend with Rain. That just leaves -”

“Vin,” Buffy said right along with her. A whine encroached the tone of her voice, “But I don’t wanna call Vin.” 

Dawn rolled her eyes. “He’s your boyfriend, he’ll take care of it.” 

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Buffy shot back, the tips of her ears pinking a little. 

“Ok, maybe not. But you want him to be. Just call him,” she said, bumping her sister’s shoulder. 

“I left my phone over there,” Buffy said, pointing to the chair next to the same corner they were watching. “You call.” 

********* 

Half an hour later there was a knock on the front door. Buffy turned pleading eyes to Dawn, but the younger sister held firm. “I grabbed my phone, you can answer the door.” 

The blonde pouted and threw a warning glance towards the offending corner, but got down off the coffee table. She dashed over to the door and opened it. “Vin! Get it out of my house.” 

The tall ATF agent chuckled as he stepped through the door carrying a plastic shopping bag. “I picked up a couple of things on my way here. I’ll take care of it.” 

“Hi, Vin!” Dawn called from her perch. “Thanks for coming over so quickly. How long is this going to take?” 

“Hard to tell,” he said with an easy shrug. “Sometimes this can take a week or so. Longer if he’s got buddies you don’t know about.” 

“There could be more of them?” Buffy nearly squeaked. Dawn could see her itching to rejoin her on the table. 

“Sure. It’s not uncommon,” he assured her. “What I can’t figure out, is how freaked out you are over this. I’ve seen you handle some pretty nasty demons; a mouse should be easy.” 

Buffy shook her head so hard Dawn thought it might fall off. “Those things carry diseases. And they’re shifty.” 

Vin just grinned but Dawn could see a definite twinkle in his eye. They had met up with the ATF team he was a part of several months before moving out here when the gun runner case they had been working on actually turned out to be a group of enterprising demons. Since then they had called Buffy a few times when they came across something unusual and the sisters had bonded with the team. And out of all of them, aside from JD, Vin was her favorite. 

He had a sly sense of humor that slipped in little quips when no one was watching. While he clearly had a rough childhood, he was an extremely giving man who was fiercely loyal to his friends. 

And her sister refused to admit she was head over heals for him. 

“I can’t stay in this house with that thing roaming free,” Buffy said. 

“So head out for a few days, I’ll check in once a day to see if we caught him and any of his friends,” Vin offered. 

“That works for me,” Dawn said with a grin. “I can head over to Molly’s and stay there.” 

“I’m not staying at the local slayer house,” Buffy said with a shudder. “Never again.” 

“Chris has spare rooms out at the ranch, I’m sure he won’t mind.” Vin’s ears turned pink as he continued, “I’ve got a spare room as well, but my neighborhood is kinda rough.” 

Buffy’s eyes widened for a moment before a small smile graced her lips and her voice softened. “That would be great. I think Chris would give me a hard time while I was there.” 

The blush spread from his ears to his cheeks. “Great.”

Dawn did her best to contain her grin. This couldn’t have turned out better if she had arranged it all herself. Maybe she could get Molly to buy a few extra mice from a pet store to keep Buffy at Vin’s for a few extra days. That close proximity would have to lead to something.


End file.
